A favoured style of now uncommon game, consider why it might have gone away.
Everything has fads but it is a concept especially prominent in computer games. Here you are invited to consider a game style you like but is now uncommon, or at least not reflected in the lineups from the big game makers that might once have had loads of offerings in it, and maybe then why it is so. Equally anything you wish to note about the evolutions in it from what little does continue to this day. Are there any upcoming games that might bring it back?
Right now many are looking at the "battle royale" games* and predicting their eventual downfall, mainly as it is a pattern that has happened before.
*there is the related discussion of game genre names and how tricky that is, however it is wishing to be noted that "battle royale" is a surprisingly good description of the gameplay it encompasses.
Historical examples of such things might include World of Warcraft losing out to MOBA/DOTA style games, one of the main reasons being given that their gameplay style reflected end game style "raids" but without the need to front load it with hundreds of hours of play. As far as gameplay design goes though they are quite hard to justify if aiming to me an intuitive game is something you want to do.
World of Warcraft in turn also seemed to really knock back multiplayer dungeon crawlers like Diablo, Dungeon Siege and Sacred.
Going back further in history then space sims were once all the rage. Trying to be a fan of them from about 1994 until 2014 was a hard thing indeed, and it is still far from easy if you are bored of Elite : Dangerous. Some have argued it was actually technology that held it back -- not enough power to break out of the procedurally generated elite mould and into the fully realised world.
What might have heralded the demise of point and click adventure games? Is their ongoing renaissance that started on the DS and is continuing to phones and tablets doing it for you? They seem to be a lot more "streamlined" than before, effectively eliminating the "rub everything on everything else" style play so common in older ones. Did that come at a cost to the heart of such games?
Have you seen a truly good beat em up like Streets of Rage in recent years? Some do try, especially in the smaller downloadable game/independent world, but why do they not stick.
As it stands you might also ask the same question for games like God of War, Bayonetta, modern Ninja Gaiden, The Bouncer, and Devil May Cry, all of which some would say are the logical progression of the beat em up style into 3d. As this article was being written the review code was offered up for God of War 4, might this reignite the flames here?
Survival horror seems to have faded away. Is it doomed to repeat the same formula of scary, sequel with scary elements, second sequel that is outright action game? On the other hand it is doing surprisingly well in the lower budget/independent game world.
Is the surprisingly popular Fire Emblem a suitable substitute for Advance Wars?
We have not had a skateboarding game that stuck the landing since 2010's Skate 3. Fans of BMX games have had even longer -- 2002 was when Dave Mirra and Mat Hofman both released games in their respective franchises from mainline consoles.
Speaking of gameplay styles popular during such timeframes then where my plastic instruments at?
It has long been noted that it is basically only Nintendo doing the N64/Rare style 3d platformer games these days. Why might that be?
Maybe you are a fan of Amiga style European shmups. The Japanese favoured approach of bullet hell does not lack charm but is not really the same thing. Why did that stick around but the others fade out?
You need not take more mechanical concepts either. Recently some said Call of Duty having a World War 2 entry was a change of pace, anybody else that recalls the years 2000-2007 might well find that odd. As far as reasons for the WW2 trend ending then "utter stagnation" is probably going to be accepted by most, but do you have another theory? It is not like the period is short of compelling stories or theatres of war to look at. You might ask the same question for the futuristic and "modern" settings that bookend that period.
Similarly we have seen some other fads. In the early 2000s every single game seemed like it needed a stealth section. After that "RPG elements" were a thing. The jury is still out on what it amounted to but "roguelike elements" was a thing for a hot moment as well. Anything there you wish to discuss? Was the "frustration" associated with roguelike elements too much for it ever be a long term trend?
This is another entry in GBAtemp's new series contemplating aspects of game design, game mechanics, industry concepts and more besides. We have plenty of things on the list to discuss but suggestions or a guest spot are welcome. Previously we discussed skills one might have learned or honed because of a game. Older entries include games on the PS4 and Xbone that will stand the test of time, games that got better after launch, cancelled games and shuttered devs, and story canon in games
